Many older houses in New Zealand do have some insulation in their ceiling or underfloor, in many cases this is well below the minimum standard. Homes built prior 1978 typically have no insulation, while those built between 1978 and 2000 will likely to have less than 100mm. EECA standards in New Zealand currently require a minimum of 120mm.

Healthy Homes Tai Tokerau can do a free assessment on your home to let you know how much insulation you do have in your home and what you can do to bring it up to the standard.

How is having my home insulated going to improve my family’s health?

Having your home insulated will stop the feeling of dampness in your home, it will also significantly reduce the amount of mould.

By insulating your home, you will help to improve any health issues you may have in your household i.e respiratory problems, asthma, chronic illness, flus and colds etc. Therefore, reducing your visits to the doctor.

What kind of insulation do you use?

Our products are supplied by two of the biggest Polyester Manufacturing Companies in Auckland Insulpro and Autex Industries and therefore being 100% New Zealand made and manufactured.

The polyester insulation is made from recycled PETA plastic bottles i.e milk and coke bottles. The polyester insulation we use is bonded using heat instead of traditional chemical binders, so therefore has no glues, no chemicals, no formaldehyde and is naturally resistant to fire, moisture, vermin, insects, mould and bacteria eliminating the need for any chemical additives.

As well as being environmentally friendly, polyester insulation material is non-toxic, non-irritating, non-allergenic and safe for anyone coming into contact with it.

Ceiling and underfloor insulation, up to a required standard (please note you need to get both ceiling and underfloor insulation done, if possible, to qualify for funding).

A clean, efficient heating device in the primary living space, if the primary living space does not already have a heating device that meets current standards. You are only eligible for funding for the installation of clean heating if your insulation first meets standards.

The following energy efficiency measures where necessary: a hot water cylinder wrap, pipe lagging, draught-stopping, and a ground moisture barrier.

Why should I choose Healthy Homes Tai Tokerau?

Healthy Homes Tai Tokerau is a joint venture partnership between two long established Northland charitable community enterprises – He Iwi Kotahi Tatou Trust from Moerewa and the Community Business & Environment Centre (CBEC) from Kaitaia.

This partnership was established in early 2008 and to date we have retrofitted over 3,000 Northland homes with insulation measures.

Healthy Homes Tai Tokerau is a community owned, not for profit charitable enterprise which is committed to working for our community.

Take the first step in making your home warmer, drier and healthier with a free home energy assessment. We cover all of Northland and Far North Regions. Call us and take advantage of our free home energy assessment.

What is an R value?

All insulation materials are rated for their performance in restricting heat transfer. This is expressed as the R value, also known as thermal resistance or resistivity. The R value is a guide to its performance as an insulator-the higher the R value, the greater the insulating effect. R values are expressed using the metric unit’s m2/K/W, where:

m2 refers to one metre squared of the material of a specified thickness;

K refers to a one degree temperature difference (Kelvin or Celsius) across the material; and

W refers to the amount of heat flow across the material in watts.

Products which have the same R value will provide exactly the same insulating effect as each other, provided they are correctly installed.

What can I do to be more energy efficient around the home?

Here are some simple steps you can take towards being more energy efficient:

Insulate your ceiling and under floor. You lose approximately 42% of your heat through the ceiling and approximately 10% through the floor. So by having your home insulated you are trapping the heat making your home warmer and more comfortable.

Attach draught stops to your exterior doors.

Change your lights to energy efficient bulbs. For every normal bulb that you replace with an energy efficient bulb, you will save approximately $110.00 over the bulbs lifetime.

Attach window seals to all windows.

Have your windows double glazed. We understand this is an expensive option. A more affordable alternative is to purchase thermal curtains for your main living areas.

Get into the habit of switching all appliances off at the wall when you are not using them. When appliances are left on standby they continue to use energy, therefore, costing you more money.

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Other products and services from Healthy Homes Tai Tokerau

Solar energy is becoming increasingly requested especially in new home builds.Around 1.6% of home owners in New Zealand have now installed solar water heating systems, and currently there are around 2000 new solar water heating systems installed each year.
Solar energy can provide abundant heat, with increasing costs of electricity – and the growing environmental costs – switching to solar hotwater has never made more sense.

If you’ve got recessed downlights you need to consider both safety and effectiveness when it comes to insulation.Because the downlights can get very hot, there must be a 150 mm safety gap between the insulation and most downlights.
There are a range of safety considerations when installing insulation, and it is very important to follow safe work practices when installing insulation products, especially with underfloor or ceiling insulation.

That’s why ENERGY STAR now includes a requirement that’s designed to ensure a correctly sized ENERGY STAR heat pump will perform efficiently in this temperature range.
Our experienced Home Energy Assessors can help you through the process and discuss your insulation requirements and clean heating options.
Installation – Good installation is fundamental to how well a heat pump performs – make sure you choose an experienced installer.

Clean Heating Solutions – Once your home is insulated to EECA requirements we are able to offer an extensive range of clean heating solutions, which are highly efficient to run – such as ENERGY STAR® heat pumps and efficient woodburners, wood pellet stoves, and flued gas heating.

The polyester insulation we use is bonded using heat instead of traditional chemical binders, so therefore has no glues, no chemicals, no formaldehyde and is naturally resistant to fire, moisture, vermin, insects, mould and bacteria eliminating the need for any chemical additives.

Most wood burners generate much more heat than is needed for one room, but unless your house is very open-plan or has internal door openings which go right up to the ceiling the excess heat will not effectively travel into other rooms.
Heat transfer kits, which are designed to extract warm air from one room and pump it into one or more other rooms, can assist with heat distribution.